In Shelter Cove (11 page)

“
I can help you fix it, but if you want to have a fast, high-flying kite, this one won’t cut it.”

She frowned at him. “Lucas is four and a half years old and less than three feet tall; I don’t think the kite has to fly that high.”

“I’m just saying that this isn’t a competitive kite. It doesn’t have the right aerodynamic shape to really take off. If you want to stick with it, at least let me make a few adjustments.”

“Why do you care whether or not this kite will fly?” she challenged, suspicion in her eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing is in it for me. But your kid seemed excited about the idea of a high-flying kite. And I’ve been there—it’s an amazing feeling to watch your kite take off into the sky.”

“It’s really that big of a deal?”

“I guess your parents never took you kite flying.”

“It never would have crossed their minds.” She moved past him and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard, taking a moment to fill it with ice and water. “Do you want some?”

“Thanks.”

She handed him the glass, then filled another for herself.

“So what are your parents like?” He knew she came from money and that her parents sported some impressive educational credentials, but beyond that he had no idea.

“They are academic, studious, globally adventurous,
community-oriented, and ecologically responsible,” she said.

He put up a hand. “Whoa. I’ve never heard anyone describe their parents that way before. You sound like a magazine article. Do you want to give it another shot—in English this time?”

“My parents are professors. They’ve taught at several Ivy League schools. My mother specializes in immunological medicine, and my father has a doctorate in world history. They spend every holiday, summer vacation, and sabbatical traveling the world. They always have a purpose, like working in an AIDS clinic in a remote African village, or taking medical supplies down the Amazon, or bringing music to some ancient Indian tribe in South America. They’re incredible people, and the words I used to describe them are the way they were written about in an issue of
Time
magazine several years ago.”

“Very impressive.”

“Very,” she agreed, but there was a cool note in her voice.

“So where are they? They weren’t at Derek’s trial. They weren’t at the funeral. They don’t seem to have a presence in your life.”

She pulled out a chair and sat down. “I don’t know where they are. They didn’t like my decision to stand by Derek. They thought I was a fool.” Her gaze met his. “I’m sure you agree with that.”

He wasn’t about to touch that comment. “But you have a child, their grandson. Don’t they want to see Lucas?”

“
Not so far,” she replied, taking a sip of water.

He took a seat across from her. “I no longer find them impressive.”

“Few people would agree with you.”

“It must have been rough, not having their support these past few years.”

“I’ve never had their support. They weren’t interested in being parents; I was an accident. My parents always felt that they were destined to do more important things with their lives than raising a child, so they left that to nannies and tutors. They prefer to spend their time solving big problems like world peace and poverty.”

“How are they doing on that?” he asked dryly.

A hint of a smile played around her lips. “Not even making a dent.”

“It doesn’t sound like you had much of a childhood.” No wonder Brianna had been drawn to the Kanes, who had showered her with love from the moment they met her.

“It wasn’t bad. I lived all over the world, had plenty of money, clothes, and educational opportunities. It was hard to keep changing schools, tough to hang on to friends, but I always had my books. I was a huge reader. And my favorite place in the world was the library—the smell of all those books, the promise of all those adventures. I couldn’t get enough. I still—” She stopped abruptly.

“Still what?” he asked, curious.

“Nothing. Anyway, I’m going to give Lucas a different kind of life and all the time with me he wants.
I want to be there for him—especially now that it’s just me.”

“Hasn’t it always been just you?”

Her lips tightened. “Yes, it has. Thanks for the reminder.”

“Why did you marry Derek, Brianna? Was it because you were pregnant?”

She stared at him for a long moment, a glint of steel in her eyes. “I married Derek because I loved him. That’s not what you want to hear, is it?”

“If that’s the truth, then that’s the truth.” But he didn’t quite buy it.

A moment of tense silence passed between them. “I did love him,” she reiterated, “but I was also young, pregnant, and scared.”

“You had other options.”

“Did I?” She shrugged. “To be honest, those days are all a blur now. Everything happened so fast. One minute I was planning a wedding, and the next I was talking to cops and lawyers, listening to accusations of robbery and assault.” She shook her head. “For the longest time, I thought I was having a nightmare. I believed I’d wake up and it would be over.”

“Derek was lucky to have you stand by him.”

“He told me that he was innocent, that he’d win his appeal, he’d get out, and we’d go on with our lives. But—” Her gaze narrowed. “Why am I talking to you?”

“Because I’m a good listener?” he suggested lightly.

She shrugged. “Or maybe I’ve just been a little short on adult conversation.”

“Do you remember the first time we met?” Jason asked.

“At Murray’s Bar. I actually thought we were going to be friends.”

“Really? I thought we were going to be more,” he said.

She stared at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Because in the hour we spent talking and laughing, you never once said you were engaged. I didn’t find that out until Derek came in and kissed you and invited me to the wedding.” He took a breath, knowing he was heading into dangerous territory, but he couldn’t stop himself. “I think for a few minutes you forgot you were with him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, but there wasn’t much force behind her words.

He pressed on. “For a few minutes there, you wished you were still single.”

“Why? So I could have you?” Anger flashed in her eyes. “Your ego is unbelievable. Just because I didn’t announce my engagement to you doesn’t mean I was interested in you. We had a casual conversation in a bar. That’s it.”

He held up his hands. “Okay, my mistake.” If he pushed any further, he’d be out on his ass, and now that he had her talking, he didn’t want to stop.

“You really thought I was into you?” she asked.

“Maybe I just wanted you to be.”

“
Is
that
why you went after Derek? Was it about me?” She jumped to her feet and ran a hand through her hair. “My God—I never even considered that possibility.”

He stood up. “No, I went after him because I ran into him on the museum grounds right after the guard was attacked and because Derek was acting nervous and changing his story every other second. I didn’t have a personal agenda. I didn’t want him to be guilty. He was my friend.”

“He was your rival. Derek told me the two of you competed for everything. In fact, that’s probably why you wanted me. I was just another trophy to play for, wasn’t I?”

“I didn’t know you belonged to Derek when we first met,” he pointed out. “And when I found out, I backed off. I don’t take women away from other men.”

“You need to leave.”

He’d known that statement was coming ever since he’d stepped through the door. “Look, we got off track.”

“We’ve never been on track.”

“Let me fix the kite for Lucas. It’s not a big deal, and I’d really like to do it for him.”

“Why?”

“I lost a parent when I just a little older than Lucas. I feel sorry for the kid.”

She gazed at him in confusion. “I don’t know what you want from me, Jason.”

He wasn’t entirely sure, either; he just knew he
didn’t want her to spend the rest of her life thinking he was the enemy. “Right now I just want to fix the kite.”

“Derek wouldn’t want you to help Lucas. He wouldn’t want you to be here in this kitchen with me.”

“Derek’s not here. So why don’t you tell me what
you
want, Brianna?”

She hesitated one last second, but in the end, her love for Lucas was stronger than her hate for him.

“Fine,” she said. “But only because Lucas has had more disappointments than any little boy should have.”

“I agree.”

“But you’re not fixing it here,” she said firmly. “You can take it with you and bring it back when you’re done.”

“I thought Lucas might want to help me.”

“Don’t push it, Jason. And after all your bragging, that kite better be good.”

“It will be.” He grabbed the kite and headed toward the back door.

“And just to be clear,” she added, “this does not in any way mean that I like you.”

He gave her a smile. “Maybe not yet.”

When the doorbell rang twenty minutes later, Brianna tensed. She wasn’t up to another round with Jason tonight. His earlier comments had shaken her up. She hadn’t thought about that night in the bar in years;
she’d pushed that sexy, flirtatious guy to the back of her mind. It hadn’t been difficult. After Derek’s arrest, Jason had turned into a cold, ruthless cop.

When she opened the door, it wasn’t Jason on her porch but Katherine Markham, dressed now in jeans and a jacket.

“Hello,” Katherine said with a smile. “I stopped by the Kanes’ house, and they gave me your address. I hope you don’t mind, but I felt really bad after you left the gallery earlier, and I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

“Come in,” Brianna said, waving her inside, more than a little curious to hear what she had to say.

“Who’s here, Mommy?” Lucas walked into the room, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, his cheeks a rosy pink.

“This is Katherine,” Brianna said, putting her hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “She was a friend of your dad. This is Lucas.”

“Hi there,” Katherine said tentatively. She glanced back at Brianna. “He’s a mini-Derek. I had no idea.”

“Can I have a snack?” Lucas asked.

“Yes, you can have a banana. We’re going to eat dinner soon.” She turned to Katherine as Lucas ran into the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, please don’t bother.”

Brianna gestured toward the couch. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks. I just couldn’t get your face out of my mind. Wyatt was hard on you.”

“
Harder on Derek,” she said, sitting down in the chair across from Katherine. “I can’t understand why he would choose to believe the worst about his grandson.”

“Wyatt thought that Derek threw away everything he gave him. He felt betrayed. I’m not saying he was right—just that that’s how he saw it.” Katherine’s gaze moved across the room, to where a large, ornate mirror was propped against the wall. “That was Derek’s,” she murmured, an odd note in her voice. “He bought it at an estate sale even though there was a crack in the glass. He never fixed it, I guess.”

“I guess not,” Brianna replied. “I just started unpacking the boxes that came from Derek’s townhouse. Nancy had put all of his things in storage when he went to jail, because I was moving into a tiny apartment and barely had space for my own things. I’m not even sure what all he had.” She paused for a moment, noting the pallor in Katherine’s face. “Is something wrong?”

Katherine started. “No. I’m sorry. It just hit me again that Derek is really gone.”

Brianna nodded. “I completely understand. I think I have it all together, and then something triggers a memory, and the pain sends me reeling.”

“So I wanted to come by and let you know that if I can help you find out what happened to the paintings, I’d be more than happy to do so. I didn’t have a chance to help Derek before. I’d love to do that now. To that end, I spoke to my aunt after you
left. I asked her if she’d heard any rumblings about those paintings. I thought Derek’s death might have caused someone to break their silence.”

Brianna had wondered the same thing. “What did Gloria say?”

Katherine frowned. “Unfortunately, nothing helpful. Both she and my uncle believe that Derek had a private buyer lined up, who either received the paintings and has them hidden away in a vault or was waiting for Derek’s release in order to complete the transaction.”

“That’s one thing I don’t understand,” Brianna said. “Why would someone go to the trouble of stealing paintings that they couldn’t display?”

“It happens all the time. Collectors can be very eccentric. Some have private rooms filled with art of questionable provenance. And highly publicized stolen art can stay hidden for decades.”

Brianna leaned back in her chair, her momentary optimism vanishing. “So I should give up?”

“I didn’t say that. I just want you to be realistic. It may take some time. And you won’t get a lot of help around here.”

“Aren’t you concerned about helping me?” Brianna asked curiously. “I’m sure the Markhams wouldn’t want you to get involved in this.”

“They don’t own me,” Katherine said lightly. “And while everyone seems to think of Derek only as a thief and a criminal, I remember a different guy. Derek was charming and funny, and he was a really talented artist. He always found the most interesting
and unique perspective from which to paint. I was in awe of his talent. But I’m sure you know how good he was.”

Brianna didn’t comment. She’d never known Derek as an artist, only as a savvy businessman with a passion for art. When he’d left Angel’s Bay to go to Los Angeles, he’d left that part of his life behind.

“Does your son like to paint?” Katherine asked.

“He scribbles a little. I haven’t seen any sign of genius, but he’s only four.”

“I have a sketch pad with some of Derek’s earliest work on it. I found it the other day when I was cleaning up. Maybe I’ll bring it by, and you can give it to Lucas.”

“That would be great. Not even the Kanes have much of his work. I guess he did most of his painting at Wyatt’s studio, and apparently, Wyatt destroyed whatever Derek left behind.”

Katherine nodded. “Wyatt was angry with Derek long before
The Three Faces of Eve
went missing. But losing those paintings made him crazy. Wyatt was obsessed with Victor Delgado’s work. He spent most of his adult life looking for Eve.” She paused. “I never understood why Wyatt agreed to donate the paintings to the museum. My aunt and uncle must have talked him into it. The three of them discovered the paintings when they were together in Mexico. They purchased them as a group.”